Yesterday, on Election Day, San Diego State students showed enthusiasm for what, to many, was the first time voting. Because of Rock the Vote efforts to advertise the importance of voting, many first-time voters had a successful time at the polls.
Associated Students set up an informational booth in front of Hepner Hall, which provided accessible information about each proposition’s intended effects and where to vote, in addition to a large white board with reasons why voting is important. Among the listed reasons were: “Because I can,” “Because it is my future” and “For my friend Colin who died in Iraq.”
Volunteer students and professors monitored the voting polls, which opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m. at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. Outside of the building, Marty Block supporters rallied about the candidate’s qualities. Even Block himself made an appearance greeting students as they entered to vote.
As students walked out with their “I Voted” stickers, some expressed their expectations for this election.
Theater junior Haylie Gulizia, an Idaho native, said she felt liberated after voting Democrat.
“My great grandmothers worked hard to get me my vote,” Gulizia said. “And even if I had the vote, my vote would not really matter if I was voting as a Democrat in that state.”
From foreign states to foreign countries, students from SDSU’s diverse campus gave their input on Election Day. German business administration exchange students Neron Zejnullaliu and Semih Kay expressed concern about the common American attitude on Election Day.
“I think Americans vote for Obama because they see him as a celebrity and not a politician,” Kay said. “Every time I ask an American about why Obama or Romney should win, they can’t think of any valuable arguments or explanations.”
In the end, SDSU students, whether first-time voters or returning voters, expressed their expectations regarding the outcome of the next four years.
Lauren Farrington, a senior studying German, wore an American flag outfit from head to toe in addition to her “I Voted” sticker. She said after her responsibility as an American citizen had been completed, only one thing mattered more than the outcome: to celebrate her right to vote with a beer.
